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Politics & Government

Council Proclaims May Mental Health Awareness Month

He also declared May is Active Older Adult Month and last week as Days of Remembrance for those that died in the Holocaust.

Mayor Sidney Katz declared May as Mental Health Awareness Month at the mayor and council's weekly meeting Monday night.

"Addressing the complex mental health needs of children, youth and families today is fundamental to the future of our community," Katz said. "The City of Gaithersburg, through its unique approach to serving children and adolescents, is effectively caring for the mental health needs of children in our community."

Community Services Director Crystal Carr delivered the proclamation to Katherine Slye-Griffin, Executive Director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness in Montgomery County. The non-profit organization is hosting a 1.5-mile walk in Silver Spring on May 15.

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Katz also declared the month as Active Older Adult Month on Monday. Earlier that day, the city held its Active Aging Expo at Bohrer Park, which hosts a number of lectures and demonstrations to promote a more active, healthy lifestyle for seniors. The city chose the theme "Your Encore Performance" for the expo, in order to demonstrate "that it is never too late to re-invent ourselves."

"This recognition is intended to acknowledge the many contributions older adults have made to our communities," Senior Center Facility Director Grace Whipple said.

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In addition, Katz also declared this week as "Days of Remembrance," in honor of victims of the Holocaust. This year marks the 65th anniversary of the first Nuremberg trial. The irony that President Barack Obama confirmed the death of Osama bin Laden just the previous night, 66 years and a day after the death of Adolf Hitler, was not lost on some council members.

"As someone who lost a large number of his extended family in the Holocaust ... I think it is particularly fitting that we recognize these Days of Remembrance just as we are learning the news about the demise of Osama bin Laden," council member Ryan Spiegel said. "These Days of Remembrance are for the purpose of remembering of all those who we've lost to senseless acts of mass murder."

"Remembrance not only obligates us to memorialize those who were killed during the Holocaust, but it also reminds us of the fragility of democracy and the need for citizens to be vigilant in the protection of democratic ideals," Katz said.

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